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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754472">Healing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peevesie_Fics/pseuds/Peevesie_Fics'>Peevesie_Fics</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Coco (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:42:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,059</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peevesie_Fics/pseuds/Peevesie_Fics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A positive turning point in Héctor and Imelda's somewhat awkward relationship after Dia de los Muertos.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Héctor Rivera/Imelda Rivera</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There are many fics about post-movie Imector and this is my version. I was thinking of making it a multichapter fic about their evolution, but decided on this instead. Enjoy!<br/></p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>'I have hurt him too much, haven't I? I know he would never say anything about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if -' she gulped, feeling a lump in her throat, but ploughed on. 'I wouldn't be surprised at all if he stopped wanting to be with me to - to protect himself from being hurt, like I did with him all those year ago!'</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Victoria watched the situation for two weeks with a mixture of concern and amusement before deciding to intervene because she was sure her Abuelita would take about a year to make any progress at the rate she was going. She cornered Imelda in her room one night. 'Hola, Abuelita,' she said, abruptly knocking on her door and entering without waiting for an answer.<br/>
<br/>
Imelda raised her brow ridges at her, looking up from whatever she was doing at her dressing table, but said nothing. Knowing Victoria, she had something to say to corner her alone like this.<br/>
<br/>
'When are we going to talk about it?' Victoria said casually, sitting down on the bed.<br/>
<br/>
'Talk about what?' Imelda replied, going back to rifling through the dressing table drawers.<br/>
<br/>
'You know that.'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda turned to look at her. 'I don't know, mija. I have been thinking. I still need some time.'<br/>
<br/>
'I know you've been thinking. But you haven't got anywhere with that, have you?'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda sighed. There was no avoiding her nieta. But maybe she could talk to her. Victoria was more likely to understand than any of the others. 'No, I haven't,' she admitted. She had been stuck inside her mind the past few days, assessing the situation of her family and marriage, weighing her options over and over again, and trying to work out how she felt, but to no avail. She knew she would have to talk to Héctor and everyone else, but she didn't know how to start. If she was being completely honest with herself, she was doing everything she could to avoid the inevitable talk. She went to the workshop, worked, made small talk with everyone, asked after Héctor's health, but carefully avoided bringing up anything about Dia de los Muertos or de la Cruz or her and Héctor's relationship. Which was a bit difficult given she had to acknowledge Héctor's existence. Héctor probably wanted to talk to her but he would never push her to. Imelda knew nobody else had the courage to confront her about it and ask her to talk, except Victoria.<br/>
<br/>
'You need to talk about it if you are to make any progress, Abuelita. We are still in a bit of a mess. A huge mess, actually. We know music isn't banned anymore, because you don't say anything when Héctor plays, but no one knows how much you are okay with, so everyone else is still scared to listen to music. We know you aren't going to kick out Héctor, but nobody is sure what his situation is here. He probably feels stuck. You need to let us know what you want, what's going to happen. You need to talk to him, decide what to do about your marriage, will you stay like this forever?'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda let out a long sigh. Then she sat in silence for a moment, and giving up on whatever she was doing, went to sit beside Victoria on the bed. If she had to talk now, it was better to do it properly. For a while, she contemplated what to say first. 'Mija,' she began, 'how do you think everyone will feel if Héctor became part of the family again?'<br/>
<br/>
'They'll mostly like it, I think,' Victoria said slowly. 'Papá probably has a soft spot for him -'<br/>
<br/>
<em>'What?'</em><br/>
<br/>
'- Tio Oscar and Tio Felipe like him, Tia Rosita likes everybody and she probably feels sorry for him.'<br/>
<br/>
'What do you mean your papá has a soft spot for him?'<br/>
<br/>
'Apparently Mamá used to tell him about Papa Héctor after their marriage, and he always sort of had a soft spot for him.' Victoria shrugged. 'He told me after we got home on Dia de los Muertos.'<br/>
<br/>
'And how do you feel?' Imelda asked, shaking her head at the new information, feeling nothing would surprise her any more regarding the many ways Coco had disobeyed her.<br/>
<br/>
Victoria shrugged again. 'I just want what's good for everyone. And I'm sure it will be good for everyone if you and Héctor work it out.'<br/>
<br/>
There was a long while of silence. 'The music ban should be lifted,' Imelda said finally. 'I need some time to get used to it, but so do you all. I'll talk to the family about it tomorrow.'<br/>
<br/>
Victoria nodded, clearly pleased with herself that they were making progress. 'You just need to talk to Héctor now.'<br/>
Imelda nodded. She knew she had to talk to Héctor, but she was still clueless about how to go about it. Still, her mind was clearer than before after talking to Victoria, so that was a start. She had to plan out the impending conversation, figure out what she had to say to him. She couldn't mess this up ...<br/>
<br/>
At that thought, Imelda suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. She had had almost the same thoughts once, regarding the very same person she was thinking about now. It had been about a hundred years ago, maybe more than that. But she still remembered it vividly. Back then, too, she had been trying to plan out what to say to Héctor. She had wanted that conversation to be perfect, something to remember. For a moment, Imelda was back in time to that evening.<br/>
<br/>
<em>She ran through the lane, oddly giddy and elated. Her feet felt like they were not touching the ground at all. She heard Hector's voice calling for her somewhere behind her. 'Imelda! Esperame!' She wanted to run until she had let out all her excitement, but he caught up with her soon enough, and grabbed her wrist so she had to stop and turn to face him.<br/>
<br/>
'What was that, Imelda? Did you mean it?' he managed to say, panting.<br/>
<br/>
'Mean what?' Imelda said, not really caring what she was saying anymore.<br/>
<br/>
'Did you mean to - to kiss me?'<br/>
<br/>
'Of course I did, Héctor. How could I kiss you without meaning to?'<br/>
<br/>
'Really?' he said, sounding extremely flustered. 'Por qué?'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda knew it was time to explain herself. Her heart was racing and her cheeks were on fire, and she took a deep breath to collect herself. It did not help much, but she tried to speak anyway. 'Well, I have been planning this for days,' she began.<br/>
<br/>
'You have been planning to - kiss me just like that?'<br/>
<br/>
'Not kiss you, this - I have been planning to tell you ...' she fell silent.<br/>
<br/>
'Tell me what?' he asked tentatively.<br/>
<br/>
'I - don't know. I hadn't planned that yet.' Mentally chastising herself for being so flustered, she took a deep breath and began to speak as fast as she could. 'Look, I just wanted to get somewhere about you, about us, and that's what I had been trying to plan. I needed to do something to let you know I ... It's just that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I didn't want to mess that up, but if I have anyway, I -'</em><br/>
<br/>
That plan had been foiled remarkably, but what had happened instead had been perfect in its own way, it had still been something to remember. It had also taught her that most good things were better unplanned.<br/>
<br/>
Imelda shook her head slightly to break her reverie. That wouldn't work now. This was a different situation. She really needed a plan now.<br/>
<br/>
'What are you thinking, Abuelita?' Victoria asked gently.<br/>
<br/>
Imelda shook her head once again. 'It's just - I don't know how to talk to him.'<br/>
<br/>
'You do want to get back together with him, don't you?'<br/>
<br/>
'I - I don't know, mija. I will admit I miss him, but things are different now. We have changed. We can't be like before anymore. There is too much between us now.'<br/>
<br/>
'Why do you have to be like before? You can start over! You can start getting to know each other, all over again. I think you would like to, given how much you clearly still love each other.'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda suddenly smiled and put a hand on Victoria's shoulder. 'Gracias, mija.' she said, squeezing her shoulder. 'You are very wise.'<br/>
<br/>
Victoria smiled back. 'Do it, Abuelita. Talk to him. Work it out together.'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda let her hand fall and sighed. 'I still don't know how to do that.'<br/>
<br/>
'Pretend he is Pepita,' Victoria said matter-of-factly.<br/>
<br/>
'¿Qué?'<br/>
<br/>
'Pretend he is Pepita, and tell him everything you feel the way you would tell her.'<br/>
<br/>
'That's absurd.'<br/>
<br/>
Victoria smirked, but did not say anything. They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. After spotting the time on the clock in Imelda's room, Victoria decided to call it a day and left for her room. 'Buenos noches, Abuelita.'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda stayed where she was, still deep in thought. Pretending Héctor was Pepita was an absurd proposition, but it had given her an idea. She would ask her alebrije for advice! Why hadn't she thought of that? Pepita was unusually intelligent and perceptive, and although she was a cat, she could communicate her feelings with Imelda through that inexplicable bond the dead shared with their spirit guides.<br/>
<br/>
Imelda quietly exited the house and looked around for Pepita, hoping she wasn't out on a nocturnal adventure. She turned out to be lounging on the roof.<br/>
<br/>
'Come down here, gatita,' Imelda said in a low voice. 'I need to talk to you.'<br/>
<br/>
Pepita stood up on the roof precariously and took her time to stretch her wings and fly down where Imelda waited. Giving her an affectionate nudge, she curled up on the ground and looked at Imelda, inviting her to sit too.<br/>
<br/>
Smiling softly, Imelda sat down where she could look at the big cat's eyes and reached out to scratch her neck. Pepita was the best, most relaxing companion she had ever had. She always listened to what Imelda said, and seemed to understand every word. Even as a house cat back when she was alive, Pepita had helped her through her bad days more than anyone knew.<br/>
<br/>
For a moment, Imelda just sat there, feeling Pepita's fur under her hand, surprisingly soft fur for an animal that was closer to a jaguar than a cat. 'You know what I want to talk to you about, don't you?' she said presently.<br/>
<br/>
Pepita purred as a confirmation. Imelda started to speak, sometimes pausing to look intently at Pepita, as if trying to understand what the cat was thinking. 'Sí, I need to talk to Héctor, Pepita. What do you think I should tell him? ... Do you think we should get back together? Can we make it work? I know Victoria said everyone would be happy, but would it really be good for the family?'<br/>
<br/>
Pepita lifted her head suddenly, probably egging Imelda on to say more. Of course. She would have sensed that these were all minor concerns for Imelda. Imelda sighed and inched closer to the alebrije anxiously. 'Pepita - do you think he would want us to reconcile?' This was her real fear, which Pepita seemed to understand too, judging by how intently she looked at her. 'I have hurt him too much, haven't I? I know he would never say anything about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if -' she gulped, feeling a lump in her throat, but ploughed on. 'I wouldn't be surprised at all if he stopped wanting to be with me to - to protect himself from being hurt, like I did with him all those year ago!' Imelda paused and clutched her head in her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself. The tears she had been holding back the past few days threatened to fall, and sure enough, she was overcome by them, as soon as she opened her mouth to speak again. 'I never -' she stopped again to let out the overwhelming emotion boiling inside her. 'I never listened to him once, every time he tried to tell me - I - I was protecting my family and myself, but I should have been fair to him, too, all along. I would never have been able to forgive myself if he had been -' she fell silent and let the metaphorical tears of remorse flow. Pepita purred reassuringly, and Imelda petted her, grateful to have her with her. After what felt like hours, she spoke again, feeling much better after letting out her pent up emotions. 'I can forgive myself for being angry with him because he left, Pepita. But I can't forgive myself for being so stubborn, for never listening to his side. If he had been - forgotten, without seeing Coco, it would have been my fault. I have to ask him if he can forgive me.' Imelda finished with determination, at last ready to face the consequences of her mistakes.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, Pepita turned her head towards the house, and Imelda heard it a second later - music coming from a room. Héctor was playing the guitar his friends from shantytown had brought him. Imelda craned her neck to see if she could see him in the spare room, but he didn't seem to be anywhere near the window. He was probably playing because he could not sleep or did not want to sleep, not because he actually wanted to play, judging by how random the notes seemed to be. Though he would never admit it, Imelda knew Héctor hadn't been sleeping properly lately. In fact, he had almost given up sleeping after waking up from nightmares a few nights in a row. He had admitted the part about the nightmares to Imelda after much pressing, and even though the dead did not actually need sleep, Héctor did seem tired all the time after not sleeping for days in a row, especially given how weak he still was. She would have to talk about him about it soon.<br/>
<br/>
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the guitar. Looking into the distance, Imelda suddenly began to feel overwhelmed with nostalgia. Glimpses of dreamy colourful days from her early life in Santa Cecilia filled her vision as the Land of the Dead momentarily faded. Unsurprisingly, most of her happy memories from those days were of Héctor, watching him play, so full of energy, singing and dancing with him, sneaking away to meet him ...<br/>
<br/>
Imelda suddenly started, reminded of a situation that was somewhat similar to her current situation. Pepita was not there back then, but Imelda remembered talking to herself to clear her thoughts. 'I need to do something,' she had said. 'I somehow have to let him know how I feel. He either feels the same way or he doesn't, what's the big deal? I think he does, but I still need to find out for sure.'<br/>
<br/>
Imelda sat up straight, knowing what to do now. The options the same as before - he would either want to start over with her as a married couple, or he wouldn't. 'I've got it, Pepita,' she said with a newfound enthusiasm. 'I know now I want us to be together again, but if he doesn't, I'll accept it. I'll just go back to living like before. In fact, it will probably be better than before because we're not going to fight anymore.'<br/>
<br/>
Pepita loudly purred her approval and suddenly nudged Imelda in the direction of the house, and nodded towards the window of the spare room, where Héctor was staying and currently still playing.<br/>
<br/>
'¿Ahora?' said Imelda, taken aback. 'Of course not, you idiota. I need to figure out what to say to him first.'<br/>
<br/>
Apparently, Pepita was having none of that. With a low growl, she nudged Imelda again, almost making her fall over this time. Imelda stared in silence for a while before deciding to give in. Her alebrije was hardly ever wrong about anything, and if she felt this was a good time to talk to Héctor, that ought to be good enough for her.<br/>
<br/>
'Muy bien,' she said, standing up, 'I'm going, you bad gata. You had better be right.'<br/>
<br/>
As she looked up at Héctor's window, she was suddenly seized by a giddy determination. She remembered feeling this determination the evening a hundred years ago when she had recklessly kissed Héctor in public. She was suddenly sure she was going to do this now, and she would do it right. Hopefully she wouldn't end up kissing him this time, but it didn't matter to her much at the moment. Even if she did, at least it wouldn't be in public this time.<br/>
<br/>
Laughing out loud at her own thoughts, Imelda turned to pet Pepita. 'Muchas gracias, Pepita. What would I do without you?' She could almost hear '¡Adelante!' in the alebrije's answering purr.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case anyone is wondering, in my headcanon, Imelda made the first move in their relationship!<br/>Also, please correct me if I have messed up with the Spanish anywhere.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He did not dare believe his own ears at first. During the decades spent alone after his death he had only hoped for one thing except seeing Coco again - that Imelda would forgive him someday. Over the years, that hope had turned into more of a fantasy and every day he believed in it less and less. And now ...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't think I appreciate enough how dark this movie is. I know Coco is probably the saddest and angstiest fandom I've ever been in, but still.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Héctor's days were a blur. He had no idea what was the reality and what were dreams. Was he stuck in a limbo, about to be forgotten? Maybe he was, and he had made up all the events of Dia de Muertos in his head. Or maybe he was forgotten already, and was doomed to an eternity of this unbearable vagueness.<br/><br/>When the fog cleared for good, he found himself in the Rivera home with Imelda and her family. He soon found out that Dia de Muertos had in fact been real, and Imelda didn't seem to be mad at him anymore. He was grateful for that, but it all soon turned awkward to say the least. He had no idea how to talk to her, or anyone else for that matter. He had no idea how she wanted to deal with their relationship and he didn't push it, but it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable to talk to her.<br/><br/>One day, a couple of his primos from shantytown had come to visit him, with Chicharron's guitar no less. 'Don't ask how we got it,' they had said for some reason. Apparently they had retrieved it from wherever Miguel had lost it, and everyone had thought Cheech would have liked Héctor to have it. Héctor was grateful for the gift, but knowing of the Riveras' famous music ban, apprehensively propped it up by the wall.<br/><br/>The rest of the family did not seem to hate him. He knew their names and who was who, not surprising given how much time he had dedicated to finding out about his family in the past few decades. The twins hadn't changed much over the years, except that they seemed to have matured. His first conversation with them after waking up had been about how they had planned to give him a talking to about walking out on their sister but had decided against it. With that out of the way, he and the twins got along like they had before. Julio had seemed to be scared of him in the beginning for some reason and tried to call him Señor Rivera, but he had eased up around him now, and switched to Papá Héctor at his insistence. Rosita was nice to him and accidentally called him mijo all the time. Victoria was very reserved and it was hard to tell what she was feeling, but she often came to talk to him on her own, so that was something.<br/><br/>A week after regaining consciousness, Héctor had decided to push his luck a bit and picked up Cheech's guitar to play on it. When no one smacked him with a boot, he assumed the music ban was at least more lenient now, and soon got into the habit of playing again. He wasn't feeling very inspired at the moment, but when he did, maybe he would start writing and composing music as well.<br/><br/>He didn't have much else to do anyway, as he was still recovering from his almost Final Death and could barely walk on his own. He was confined to the spare room for a while, then he requested Imelda to help him go out so he could sit outside. He had been reluctant to ask for help, but he was getting restless stuck in the room.<br/><br/>After having nightmares four nights in a row, he decided to avoid sleeping as much as he could. The last thing he wanted was to scream and wake everyone in the middle of the night. He took to playing late at night. No one seemed to mind and it gave him something to do.<br/><br/>This was another such night. He was strumming aimlessly, not really paying attention. He was trying his hardest to be patient about the current situation, but he was feeling melancholy at present. How long would this go on? He wandered if he should just ask Imelda. If she was not ready to talk, surely she could at least tell him something, like whether she was planning to talk at all.<br/><br/>Héctor was toying with the idea when there was a knock on the door and Imelda's voice called his name. 'Héctor?'<br/><br/>He hurriedly put down the guitar before answering. He knew she could hear him but he had never actually played in her presence. Who knew, it could still upset her. It was best to be on the safe side. 'Come in, Imelda,' he called.<br/><br/>Imelda opened the door and entered cautiously. Sitting down on the foot of the bed, she said, 'We have to talk, Héctor.'<br/><br/>'Now?'<br/><br/>'It can wait if you don't want to.'<br/><br/>'Está bien,' he said quickly. 'Do you want to go outside?'<br/><br/>Imelda stood up held out her hand to help him to his feet. 'Vamos -'<br/><br/>They silently went out of the house, Héctor leaning on Imelda for support. 'I should have talked to you earlier,' she said as she shut the front door behind them. 'But I didn't know how to.'<br/><br/>Héctor nodded in acknowledgement, already exhausted from the effort of coming down the stairs.<br/><br/>'Let's sit down,' said Imelda, noticing this. There were benches in the garden Rosita had started growing, but Imelda gestured to the ground and Héctor nodded. Hearing a sudden growl from the rooftop, they both looked at the rooftop where Pepita was curled up. 'Is she angry at me?' Héctor asked nervously.<br/><br/>'I don't think so,' said Imelda with a chuckle. They sat in silence for a while as Imelda tried to gather her thoughts.<br/><br/>'We used to sit like this,' Héctor ventured, hoping it was alright to talk about their past now that they were about to talk about their present. 'Remember?'<br/><br/>Imelda smiled slightly, with a tender expression. 'I remember. I got such a telling-off from Mamá when I nearly ruined a good dress from sitting in the dirt -'<br/><br/>After another moment of silence, Imelda spoke abruptly. 'I want to apologise to you, Héctor.'<br/><br/>'What for?' said Héctor, slightly alarmed.<br/><br/>Imelda sighed. 'Look, I know you don't blame me for what happened to you, but I do. I want you to know that I'm sorry for what I did.'<br/><br/>'But you didn't do anything wrong, Imelda. You were angry because I left you. It was my fault.'<br/><br/>'I know I had every right to be angry at you then. But later, after I died -' Héctor opened his mouth to speak, but Imelda silenced him with a gesture of her hand and went on. 'I should have given you the chance to explain yourself. But I did not. I was too stubborn to consider the possibility that it may not have been your fault you never came back. I continuously hurt you and myself. You know I hurt you, Héctor, don't deny it.' she breathed heavily as she finished. Héctor remained silent, sensing she had more to say. 'Besides,' she continued, 'It was entirely my fault you were almost forgotten, and you know it. I know I was angry at you and I was protecting my family, but I should have at least kept your memory alive. I should have accepted the fact that you had left, but -' her eyes shone and he was sure they would have filled with tears were she alive. 'I could not, Héctor. I held on to it. I could never let go of you.'<br/><br/>Héctor hesitantly reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it, trying to convey reassurance through the touch.<br/><br/>Hiccoughing, Imelda spoke again. 'I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry I almost let you be forgotten. If I had another chance, I would do it differently.'<br/><br/>Héctor placed his other hand on her shoulder and processed her words in silence before answering. He would never blame her for anything she had done, she had just protected her family and acted out of hurt and anger that she had every right to feel. But if she regretted her actions, he would try and help her forgive herself. 'You know I would never blame you for what happened to me. But if this makes you feel better, I forgive you. For not listening to me and -'<br/><br/>'For ... wanting you forgotten?'<br/><br/>Héctor cringed at how direct that phrase was, but chose not to say anything. 'Sí. I forgive all that and I am ready to put that behind me. Are you?'<br/><br/>Imelda looked up at him and smiled. 'I'm not ready yet, but I will be. Muchas gracias, Héctor.'<br/><br/>'Does it make you feel better?'<br/><br/>'Sí. Much better. Gracias, Héctor.'<br/><br/>Endeared by how genuinely grateful she looked, he touched her cheekbone, half expecting her to shy away, but she leaned into the touch.<br/><br/>'Héctor,' she said again. 'Even a few days ago, I thought I could never forgive you. But now I know I can.'<br/><br/>Was she saying what he thought she was saying? After all these years ... '¿Qué?' he asked, his voice trembling.<br/><br/>'I will forgive you, Héctor. I still need some time, but I will someday. I know. I promise.'<br/><br/>He did not dare believe his own ears at first. During the decades spent alone after his death he had only hoped for one thing except seeing Coco again - that Imelda would forgive him someday. Over the years, that hope had turned into more of a fantasy and every day he believed in it less and less. And now ...<br/><br/>'Will you really?' he asked again, eyes steaming up with phantom tears, just to confirm it was really happening, and he was not dreaming it.<br/><br/>'Sí. I promise.'<br/><br/>It was as if a dam had broken. The weight that had been on his shoulders and in his heart for the past ninety-six years, that he had grown so used to that he almost forgot existed, had lifted. He had never felt this free since - actually, he had never felt this free. He buried his face in his knees and suddenly let out an involuntary wail.<br/><br/>'Héctor?' said Imelda, alarmed. 'Are you all right?'<br/><br/>He almost managed a smile but could not get a single word out.<br/><br/>'Here -' she shifted so she was right next to him, and pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his hands around her and sobbed into her hair.<br/><br/>'Héctor?' she said when his breathing had eased considerably.<br/><br/>'Mm?'<br/><br/>'Will you forgive yourself?'<br/><br/>Héctor pulled away to look at her. 'I don't think I can,' he said.<br/><br/>'Try. Por favor.'<br/><br/>He sighed and said 'I will,' not sounding very sure of it himself.<br/><br/>'Why did you leave, Héctor?' Imelda asked abruptly, startling him, her eyes boring into his.<br/><br/>'I wanted to provide for you,' he said thoughtfully. 'I wanted to perform outside so I could earn for you. And I wanted to learn about performing. I wanted experience. But it was a bad idea from the beginning,' he looked down with a sigh.<br/><br/>'See? Even if it was a bad idea, you just did what you thought was right, like I did.'<br/><br/>'I suppose,' he said with a sad sort of a laugh. Since when had she ever been this accepting of his blunders? 'You've grown,' he said suddenly. A voice at the back of his head said it sounded stupid, but he paid no heed.<br/><br/>She understood. 'So have you,' she said sincerely.<br/><br/>Héctor hadn't felt this vulnerable, this intimate with her in a long, long time. Hardly surprising, as they had not really talked in a long time in the first place. It was an oddly satisfying feeling he had almost forgotten. The first time he had felt this came to him in a flash.<br/><br/><em>'Look, I just wanted to get somewhere about you, about us, and that's what I had been trying to plan. I needed to do something to let you know I ... It's just that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I didn't want to mess that up, but if I have anyway, I -'</em><br/><br/><em>'Wait, wait, wait. I'm the best thing that has ever happened to you?'</em><br/><br/><em>'Of course,' Imelda replied vigorously, her voice intense. 'How could you not be? You're the only one who doesn't think I'm odd for being this way -'</em><br/><br/><em>'I love you for being this way,' he said immediately, and his ears turned red when he realised what he had said.</em><br/><br/><em>'You do?' Imelda asked quietly.</em><br/><br/><em>Héctor's ears were burning, but there was no going back. 'Sí, I do, I do.' he said earnestly. They both stepped forward together, as if it were rehearsed, and pulled each other into a hug.</em><br/><br/>He smiled at the memory, and made up his mind to say it again. 'Imelda,' he began, taking both of her hands in his. 'I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I want to be completely honest with you. I always loved you, Imelda. I never stopped loving you for once. When we were performing on the roads I missed you every day. I dreamed of you. After I died too. My biggest regret was that I had not been able to live my life with you. All these years, I - I never loved you any less for a second.'<br/><br/>If Imelda was taken aback at such an open confession, she did not show it. Instead she she leaned forward and said, in almost a whisper, 'I loved you too, Héctor.'<br/><br/>'You did?'<br/><br/>'Of course. Why do you think I was so hung up on you leaving me? No matter how much I tried, I could never let go of you. I could never stop loving you, Héctor.'<br/><br/>This was new. Not quite sure what to feel, he leaned towards her and their foreheads touched with a clack of bones. It was a new, unfamiliar sensation, even after almost a century of being dead. To be fair, he had hardly had any physical contact after his death. Now, even the slightest contact with her left his bones tingling. If there were going to be more moments like this in the future, he would have to get used to physical affection, he thought vaguely.<br/><br/>He probably should have been happy at Imelda's confession, and he was, but he felt heavy too. Perhaps because her confession made him newly realise the weight of the heartbreak she had carried all her life and afterlife.<br/><br/>'I'll never hurt you again, Imelda,' he mumbled, touching her cheekbone again. 'Lo siento mucho.'<br/><br/>'I'll never hurt you again either, Héctor.' she pulled away and sighed. 'I never meant for all this to happen, you know,' she said after a while. 'I never actually thought you would be forgotten. I kept telling myself that whoever you had run off to was going to remember you. I never wanted to think you would be forgotten.'<br/><br/>'Está bien,' he whispered, taking her hands again, wanting to comfort her.<br/><br/>'Just like before,' she continued as of she had not heard him. She looked pained now. 'I never wanted to think something had happened to you, so I made myself believe you had walked out on me.'<br/><br/>'It's alright now. It's in the past.'<br/><br/>'I just wish I had considered ...'<br/><br/>'Imelda,' he said firmly, 'Never blame yourself for feeling what you felt. You had no control over that.'<br/><br/>To his relief, she smiled. 'How are you so considerate of everyone except yourself, Héctor?'<br/><br/>There was no good answer to that, so he chose to smile too, but probably ended up just looking morose. 'Do you want to say something?' he asked after some silence noticing that she looked fidgety.<br/><br/>'Sí,' she said, biting her lower lip. 'Héctor, what do want to do ... about ... us?' she bit her lower lip again. 'Do you want us to be together again, like before?'<br/><br/>'Can we?' he said, his eyes wide and his phantom heart speeding up.<br/><br/>'It's up to us, mi - Héctor. What do you want?'<br/><br/>Even in his excitement at the proposition and at Imelda almost calling him a pet name, he couldn't help but feel a little indignant at such a question. Wasn't it obvious? 'What kind of a question is that? I already told you I love you and I miss you -'<br/><br/>'That doesn't mean you want to live with me. This is a big thing, this is almost like - like getting married again.'<br/><br/>'Mi - Imelda, if there is one thing I want now, it is another chance to be there for you, with you, like before. I would not object to getting married to you again, either.'<br/><br/>'You know this won't be like before, don't you? We have both changed too much for that.'<br/><br/>'We haven't changed,' he said fervently. 'We have grown, but we haven't changed. Not to me at least. When I look at you now I see the same Imelda I fell in love with. You may be older, but your fire is exactly like it was before.' He paused to catch his breath, then said, 'What about you, Imelda? Do you want us to be together again?'<br/><br/>'I do,' she said, her eyes shining. 'I want to start over with you.'<br/><br/>Héctor was reminded of their wedding for a second. It had been an intense and very personal occasion for them, and this was similar in some ways. Only this was more personal. His non-existent heart racing, he blocked out all thoughts as he pulled her closer to him and pressed a short kiss to her forehead. He pulled away to look at her, and to his relief, she was smiling. To be frank, it had been a bad kiss, but that was fine - this was his first kiss after death, and they both now had plenty of time to practice.<br/><br/>'Remember when I kissed you for the first time?' said Imelda, suddenly giggling.<br/><br/>'At the Plaza? How could I not remember that?' he smiled reminiscently.<br/><br/>'I was just thinking about it before I came to talk to you,' she said, still giggling.<br/><br/>Héctor was a bit perplexed now, wondering what was so funny about thinking about their first kiss, but he wasn't about to complain. He had almost forgotten what Imelda's giggling sounded like, and it felt good to remember.<br/><br/>'Let's stay up all night here, Héctor,' said Imelda mischievously.<br/><br/>'You have to go to the shop tomorrow.'<br/>'I don't care, I want to be irresponsible. I haven't done that in a while.'<br/><br/>'Will you teach me to make shoes, Imelda?'<br/><br/>Imelda raised her brow ridges at him. 'You weren't so eager last time I tried to teach you. What's with the change of heart?'<br/><br/>'Nothing, I still think I'll be no good,' he said, shaking his head as he recalled Imelda's many failed attempts at teaching him to make shoes, when she had been learning to help out in a shoe shop in order to get them some extra money. 'I just want to help.'<br/><br/>'We'll see. I'm sure you can help. But not until you are better,' she added sternly.<br/><br/>'Fine, fine.'<br/><br/>'Oh, I am officially lifting the music ban.'<br/><br/>'Does this mean you'll sing with me again?' he asked, delighted.<br/><br/>'Maybe.' she said with a smirk.<br/><br/>Héctor couldn't remember feeling this hopeful in a long time. There was still a long way to go. Those ninety-six years were still there. But there was hope now, hope for something he had never dared to dream of. It was something he had never, ever thought would happen, but it was happening. They were back with each other. They were healing. And this time, he would not mess it up. He would be there for her every step of the way, and he would savour every moment of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had successfully made myself sad when exploring their perspectives for this fic, but the ending made me feel better.<br/>Once again, please correct me if I've messed up with the Spanish.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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